Hinge construction for swinging overhead door



H. P. LIPKING April 2, 1968 HINGE CONSTRUCTION FOR SWINGING OVERHEADnoon 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Feb. 21, 1966 Fig 2 INVENTOR.

I Henry R Lipkihg Fig.l

April 1963 H. P. LIPKING 3,375,545

HINGE CONSTRUCTION FOR SWINGING OVERHEAD DOOR Filed Feb. 21, 1966 2Sheets-Sheet 2 Fig. 3 A

Henry P. Lip/ring INVENTOR.

Patented Apr. 2, 1968 ice 3,375,545 HINGE CONSTRUCTION FOR SWINGINGOVERHEAD DOOR Henry P. Lipking, 4987 E. Tulare St, Fresno, Calif. 93702Filed Feb. 21, 1966, Ser. No. 529,031 7 Claims. (Cl. 16163) ABSTRACT OFTHE DISCLOSURE A plate-like mounting bracket for a pair of pivotedsupport arm means of an overhead door and including adjustable abutmentstop means for limiting swinging movement of the support arm means andalso anchor means for attachment of one end of an elongatedcounterbalance spring to the mounting bracket.

This invention relates to a novel and useful hinge construction for aswinging overhead door and more specifically to various improvementswhich have been made to the similar inventions disclosed in my prior US.Patent No. 2,751,624, dated June 26, 1956, for Spring Anchor Unit forOverhead Swinging Doors and my prior US. Patent No. 3,254,364, datedJune 7, 1966, for Jamb Type Hinge for Overhead Doors.

The hinge construction of the instant invention includes an improveddoorstop for limiting swinging movement of the associated door to theOpen position as well as an improved doorstop for limiting swingingmovement of the associated door to the closed position. Further, theimproved hinge construction of the instant invention additionallyincludes an improved pivotable spring anchor for securing one end of theassociated counterbalance spring to the corresponding door.

Some similar types of overhead doors utilize an elongated bumperconstructed of either rubber or felt composition nailed to theundersurface of the header defining the upper extremity of thecorresponding door opening as a limit stop for swinging movement of thegarage door to the open position. This type of bumper engages theoverhead door along a generally horizontally disposed 'line adjacent thebottom edge of the door when the door is in a closed position and has atendency to discolor the paint on the exterior surface of the door orotherwise mar the outward appearance of the door such as by'chipping thepaint therefrom along the aforementioned line. The improved doorstop ofthe instant invention for limiting swinging movement of the associatedoverhead door to its open position has as its main object to provide ameans whereby upward swinging movement of the overhead door to the openposition may be limited by means of an abutment stop carried by thesupport bracket of the door and engageable by one of the support arms ofthe door.

Further, present methods of limiting downward swinging movement of anoverhead door to the closed position involve the utilization of metalclips disposed near the lower portions of the vertical side members ofthe doorjamb and extending outward to contact the door as it moves toits final closed position. These protruding clips are disposed close tothe ground and usually project in a manner so as to be engageable by thelower portions of the legs of a person walking through the door openingadjacent one vertical side member of the jamb defining the opening. Itis accordingly a further important object of this invention to provide adoorstop for an overhead door including means by which an abutment isprovided carried by the mounting bracket for the door and engageable byone of the support arms of the door for limiting downward swingingmovement ofthe door to its closed position.

Still another object of this invention, in accordance with the precedingobjects, is to provide doorstops for an overhead swinging door supportedfrom the mounting brackets for the door in a manner such that the limitpositions of movement of the associated overhead swinging door to theopen and closed positions may be readily adjusted.

A still further object of this invention is to provide a spring anchorarm for one end of the counterbalance spring of the overhead doorassembly which is adapted to be pivotally secured'to the door in amanner such that the anchor arm, the expansion-type counter-balancespring and the anchor for the end of the spring remote from the anchorarm will be maintained in perfect alignment during swinging movement ofthe door from the open position to the closed position.

A final object of this invention to be specifically enumerated herein isto provide a hinge construction for swinging overhead doors which willconform to conventional forms of manufacture, be of simple constructionand easy to install so as to provide a device that will be economicallyfeasible, long lasting and relatively trouble free in installation.

These together with other objects and advantages which will becomesubsequently apparent reside in the details of construction andoperation as more fully hereinafter described and claimed, referencebeing had to the accompanying drawings forming a part hereof, whereinlike numerals refer to like parts throughout, and in which:

FIGURE 1 is a fragmentary vertical sectional view taken through a dooropening and illustrating the hinge construction of the instant inventionsupported from the door jamb and operably swingably supporting the associated door for movement between closed and open positions, the overheadswinging door being illustrated in the closed position;

FIGURE 2 is a fragmentary elevational view of the assemblage illustratedin FIGURE 1 as seen from the left side thereof;

FIGURE 3 is a fragmentary vertical sectional view similar to that ofFIGURE 1 but illustrating the overhead door in its full open position;

FIGURE 4 is an enlarged fragmentary horizontal sectional view takensubstantially upon the plane indicated by the section line 44 of FIGURE3; FIGURE 5 i a fragmentary vertical sectional view taken substantiallyon a plane indicated by the section line 5-5 of FIGURE 3 and on somewhatof an enlarged scale;

FIGURE 6 is a perspective view of a support bracket or anchor plateportion of the hinge construction; and

FIGURE 7 is a perspective view of one of the abutment members of thehinge construction utilized to limit swinging movement of the overheaddoor to the open position.

Referring now more specifically to the drawings, the numeral 10generally designates a door jamb construction includingan upright 12 anda horizontal'header 14. Ofcourse, the door jamb 10 includes a secondupright 12 and defines a door opening between the uprights 12, theground .16 and the header 14. i

An overhead swinging door 18 is provided and includes a pair ofupstanding opposite side marginal edge portions 20 snugly receivedbetween the uprights 12. The hinge construction of the instant inventionis generally referred to by the reference numeral 22 and is of courseutilized in pairs with one hinge construction 22 being supported fromeach upright 12 and operatively connected to the correspondingupstanding marginal edge portion 20 of the door 18.

Eachhinge construction 22 includes a mounting bracket 24 including afirst flange portion 26 secured to the corresponding upright 12 in anyconvenient manner such as by fasteners 28 and a second plate-likeflange'portion 30 disposed at right angles relative to the flangeportion 26. The flange portion 30 is disposed in an upstanding planenormal to the plane of the door opening and includes a rear marginaledge portion 32 facing away from the corresponding upright 12.

A master support arm 34 has one end thereof pivotally supported from theflange portion 30 by means of a pivot pin 36 and the other end of thesupport arm 34 is pivotally secured to an anchor bracket 38 secured tothe corresponding upstanding marginal edge portion 20 of the door 18.The support arm 34 is pivotally secured to the anchor bracket 38 bymeans of a fastener 40 and the anchor bracket 38 is secured to the door18 by means of fasteners 42. A second support arm 44 is provided and hasone end pivotally supported from the flange portion 30 by means of asuitable pivot fastener 46 and the other end of the support arm 44 ispivotally supported to an adjustment bracket 48 by means of a suitablepivot fastener 50. The adjustment bracket 48 is secured to the anchorbracket 38 by means of suitable fasteners 52 secured through the anchorbracket 38 and slots 54 formed in the adjustment bracket 48 whereby theadjustment bracket 48 may be adjusted longitudinally of the anchorbracket 38 so as to adjustably incline the door 18 when it is in itsclosed position. This adjustability of the adjustment bracket 48accordingly provides a means whereby the door 18 may be adjusted so asto be substantially vertically disposed when in the closed position.

The flange portion 30 is provided with. a horizontal slot 56 in an areadisposed approximately midway between the vertically spaced pivot pinsor fasteners 36 and 46 and a shoulder bolt 58 is secured through theslot 56 by means of a suitable fastener 60, the shoulder bolt 58 havinga resilient sleeve covering 62 disposed thereon which is engageable bythe main support arm 34 when the door 18 is in the closed position, seeFIGURE 1.

An anchor bracket generally referred to by the reference numeral 66 isprovided and is generally U-shaped in configuration including a firstplate-like leg 68,,a second plate-like leg 70, and a plate-like bightportion 72 interconnecting corresponding ends of the generally parallellegs 68 and 70. The anchor bracket 66 is constructed of stiff butresilient material and the leg 68 thereof has a vertically disposed slot74 formed therein. The anchor bracket 66 is secured to the flangeportion 30 by means of a fastener 76 secured through a horizontal slot78 formed in the flange portion 30 and the vertical slot 74 formed inthe leg 68. The leg 68 has its end adjacent the bight portion 72disposed immediately adjacent the rear marginal edge portion 32 of theflange portion 30 and the bight portion 72 passes immediately behind therear marginal edge portion 32 and projects outwardly of the side of theflange portion 30 on which the arms 34 and 44 are pivotally supported.The leg 70 projects forwardly from the bight portion 72 toward the dooropening defined by the jamb and is apertured as at 80 on its free end.An elongated pivot fastener 82 is secured through the aperture 80 andhas one hooked end of an expansion spring 84 engaged therewith. Theother end of the expansion spring 84 is engaged with an eyebolt 86threadedly secured through an angulated flange portion 88 of a generallyL-shaped anchor arm 90 whose end remote from the flange portion 8-8 ispivotally supported from the anchor bracket 38 by means of a pivotfastener 92.

Also pivotally supported from the pivot pin 82 is one leg portion 94 ofan L-shaped abutment bracket 96 including a second leg portion 98covered with a resilient sleeve 100 and disposed for engagement by themain support arm 34 when the door 18 is in its fully open position, seeFIGURE 3.

The leg portion 94 has an elongated slot 102 formed therein throughwhich the pivot pin or fastener 82 extends.

It is believed readily apparent that the abutment bracket 96 may bereadily adjusted to variably limit swinging the plane of said opening,arm means including a pair movement of the arm 34 during movement of thedoor 18 to the open position by vertically adjusting the anchor bracket66. Further, the abutment defined by the shoulder bolt 58 may also bereadily, adjusted so as to vary the limit position of swinging movementof the support arm 34 during movement of the door 18 to the closedposition by horizontally adjusting the shoulder bolt 58.

The foregoing is considered as illustrative only of the principles ofthe invention. Further, since numerous modifications and changes willreadily occur to those skilled in the art, it is not desired to limitthe invention to the exact construction and operation shown anddescribed, and accordingly all suitable modifications and equivalentsmay be resorted to, falling within the scope of the invention asclaimed.

What is claimed as new is as follows:

1. In combination, a doorjamb defining an upstanding door opening, amounting unit for an upstanding door for said opening swingable to anoverhead open position, said unit comprising a mounting plate secured tosaid jamb appreciably below the upper extremity of said opening andincluding at least one upstanding portion spaced laterally at one sideof and disposed generally normal to of door attaching arms pivotallysecured at one pair of corresponding ends to one side of said upstandingportion for rotation about vertically spaced horizontal axes generallyparalleling said plane, means on the other pair of ends of said armsadapted to pivotally secure said other ends to said door in verticallyspaced relation, first and:

second abutment means disposed to said one side of and carried by saidone portion and engageable by said arm means to limit swinging movementthereof in opposite directions, said arms being disposed in generallyupright positions when said arm means is=engaged with said first andsecond abutment means, saidabutment means being supported from saidupstanding portion for adjustment laterally of said plane, abutmentmeans including a generally L-shaped plate having a first leg portionpivotally supported from and generally paralleling said upstandingportion and a second leg portion extending laterally out: wardly of thefree end portion of said first leg portion with which one of said armsis engageable.

2. In combination, a doorjamb defining an upstanding door opening, amounting unit for an upstanding door for said opening swingable to anoverhead open position, said unit comprising a mounting plate secured tosaid jamb appreciably below the upper extremity of said opening andincluding at least one upstanding portion spaced laterally at one sideof and disposed generally normal to the plane of said opening, arm meansincluding a pair of door attaching arms pivotally secured at one pair ofcorresponding ends to one side of said upstanding portion for rotationabout vertically spaced horizontal axes generally paralleling saidplane, means on the other pair of ends of said arms adapted to pivotallysecure said other ends to said door in vertically spaced relation, firstandsecond abutment means disposed to said one side of and carried bysaid one portion and engageable by said arm means to limit swingingmovement thereof in opposite directions,

said arms being disposed in generally upright positions when said armmeans is engaged with said first and second abutment means, saidabutment means being supported from said upstanding portion foradjustment laterally of said plane, said unit including a generally.

of one side of the end of said bight portion remote from said one legtoward said plane and an expansion spring including a first end anchoredto the free end portion of said second leg and a second end adapted tobe anchored to a lower portion of said door.

3. The combination of claim 2 wherein said U-shaped plate is supportedfrom said upstanding portion for vertical adjustment relative thereto.

4. The combination of claim 1 wherein said one of said attaching arms isengageable with said first abutment means in one limit position of saidarm means and said second abutment means when said arm means is swung tothe other limit position of swinging movement thereof.

5. The combination of claim 4 wherein the other of said arms includes amounting bracket pivotally secured to the end thereof remote from saidmounting plate and adapted for securement to said door in verticallyadjusted positions.

6. The combination of claim 2 wherein said second end of said expansionspring includes means adapted for securement to said door and to adjustthe tension of said spring.

7. The combination of claim 1 wherein said first and second abutmentmeans are disposed above and below the end of said one attaching armsecured to said plate and said second abutment means being disposedabove the end of the other attaching arm secured to said plate.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2/1954 Eaton 16-1 6/1956 Lipking16163

